Bucs to Close Out Regular Season at No. 26 Coastal Carolina

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Buccaneers look to solidify their standing in the Big South when they close out the regular season this weekend at No. 26 Coastal Carolina.  The teams will face off at Charles Watson Stadium in Conway, S.C., with first pitch set for 6 p.m. on Friday.  The Chanticleers are atop the Big South standings at 18-6, while the Buccaneers currently sit third at 14-10. 

Bucs & Chanticleers
CSU will finish out the regular season with a three-game series at No. 26 Coastal Carolina, marking the 86th time the two teams will meet.  The Chanticleers lead the all-time series 58-27.  CCU is currently in first place in the Big South, and will look to clinch the regular season title this weekend.  They are the four-time defending Big South Champions and head coach Gary Gilmore recently recorded his 900th win

Keeps Getting Better
The Buccaneers picked up their 13th and 14th Big South wins this past weekend, and continue on with one of the most successful seasons in school history.  This season marks the eighth time in CSU history the team has had 25 wins or more, and is the first 25-win season since 2000 when they went 31-31-1.  It is also the third time since joining the Big South in 1986 that the Bucs have won at least 14 league games.  The last time they did so was also in 2000, when they went 14-7 in BSC action.    The Buccaneers have improved each season under Coach Lake, and have won 10 more games in 2011 than in 2010. 

Chinners Makes History
Nick Chinners’ lone hit in Friday’s win over High Point officially made him the number one hitter in CSU history.  Chinners had previously tied Jordan Haar’s record of 244 vs. Georgia Southern and later took sole possession of first place in program history with his 245th career hit.   He has since added two more, and boasts 247 career hits as of May 18.  Earlier this season, Chinners moved into a tie for fourth place in doubles with 41 career doubles.  He is currently tied for second in that category. He is also an RBI short of tying for place in program history with 122 career RBI. 

Leader of the Pack
Designated hitter Derek Smith homered twice in the last week, and is now tied atop the conference standings for home runs.  Smith’s 11 home runs this season also ties him for fourth place in the school records books for season records.  One more would move him into third place, while four more would tie the school’s single-season homers mark.  Smith is second in program history with 32 career home runs. 

Smooth Criminals
Seniors Brantley Meier and Tom Burkett rank atop the Big South in stolen bases this season, with 21 and 20, respectively.  Meier, whose 2010 stolen base tally of 25 ranks third in school history, needs three more to tie for the fourth spot on the list.  Burkett, who tied the school’s single game stolen base record with four earlier in the season, has moved into third place in school history with 62 stolen bases in his career.  He needs six more to tie for the top spot. 

Lucky Number Three...
CSU enters the regular season finale in third place in the Big South Conference with a 14-10 record.    A top-four finish means they would not have to compete in a first round play-in game.   The last time CSU took third place was in 2002, when they went 12-9 in the BSC.

Game Links

Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Video